A Korean research team has identified that the number of cagA (cytotoxin-related gene A) genes in Helicobacter pylori, the causative agent of gastric cancer, changes depending on the host immune status.
The National Research Foundation (Chairman Gwangbok Lee), led by Professor Jeongheon Cha of Yonsei University, conducted a study on infection of the PMSS1 (Helicobacter pylori clinical strain) strain using genetically mutated mice to investigate the virulence control mechanism by which Helicobacter pylori responds to the host immune status and changes the number of cagA oncogenes. It was announced on the 14th that it was confirmed that they have it.
Helicobacter pylori can induce gastric cancer by disrupting the signal transduction system in the host cell by injecting CagA protein into gastric epithelial cells using the type 4 secretion system, which is a syringe-like structure.
The research team hypothesized that Helicobacter pylori would have a mechanism to regulate CagA protein expression according to the host immune response and approached it.
As a result, Helicobacter pylori infected with a host with a weak immune response became more virulent by increasing the number of cagA genes, but the number of cagA genes decreased in Helicobacter pylori infected with a host with a strong immune response.
The research team predicts that it will be an important basis for understanding the mechanisms that determine whether Helicobacter pylori will attack the host or evade host immunity.
Professor Cha Jeong-heon said, “If a person’s immune ability is lowered, the genotype of the Helicobacter pylori etiological factor changes in the direction of strong virulence, and this change has the potential to cause serious gastrointestinal diseases such as gastric cancer.” It is expected that this will become an important basic research to elucidate the reason for this.”
Meanwhile, this research result, which was carried out with the support of the Ministry of Science and ICT and the ‘Medium Research Project’ promoted by the National Research Foundation, was published online on the 15th of last month in ‘Gut Microbes’, an international academic journal in the field of microbiology.
By Lee In-hee, staff reporter [email protected]